Chapter 1270 The missile flies outside the cloud
Two days later.
Just when NASA Director Michael Griffin, who was forced to be hospitalized because of high blood pressure, finally woke up.
China, Qiong Province.
Chang Haonan was sitting in a command vehicle of the Second Artillery Corps, looking out at a lush weed field through the window.
Although he had crammed in agronomic knowledge for a while while tinkering with the experimental fields, he really couldn't figure out what kind of plants these were.
In short, thanks to the good climate of the tropics, the growth can be said to be extremely vigorous.
Let alone a reconnaissance plane or reconnaissance satellite, even sitting in the car, he couldn't tell that there was a high-standard concrete road hidden underneath.
It is even enough to pass the HY4330 semi-trailer, which has almost no off-road capabilities and is not even very maneuverable.
"I said Brigadier Yang, your disguise is pretty good..."
He smacked his lips with emotion and said to the brigade commander Yang Guang sitting next to him.
"There is no way...Since our missile performance is limited, we can only work hard on subjective initiative..."
Neither Dongfeng 31 nor Dongfeng 31A, or even Dongfeng 21, has the iconic unsupported launch capability of the new generation of ballistic missiles.
Kuaizhou One, which is directly modified from Dongfeng 31, naturally does not have it either.
In other words, although it has the ability to maneuver, it still needs to move to a pre-prepared launch position before launching.
Of course, this kind of position no longer requires the preparation of big things like launch towers that cannot be hidden at all, so the setup flexibility is still far superior to the old guys of the previous generation.
And Chang Haonan knew very well that he should be heading to such a place.
Inevitably, this launch will reveal some long-prepared secrets.
But on the one hand, the benefits after success are so great that it is completely worth paying some costs.
On the other hand, in order for missiles launched from China to reach North America, the shortest route is over the North Pole rather than across the Pacific. Therefore, the actual combat significance of missile launch positions arranged south of the Yangtze River is relatively limited.
Not a loss anyway.
There is a military laptop fixed in the middle of the command vehicle, but it does not display the attack targets given by the superiors like it did in past trainings.
Instead, it plays satellite-relayed TV images like an ordinary home computer.
"Dear viewers, after the decision-making leaders gave the final instructions, the naval landing ship force, the Aerospace Science and Industry Corporation and the National Space Administration responded as quickly as possible and have dispatched a latest solid launch vehicle that has just left the factory. The most suitable launch location..."
The female host stood in the wind and shouted hoarsely into the microphone:
"Although this type of launch vehicle has not yet undergone any launch test, and even the modular satellite for the mission has been put into use for the first time, this mission is of great significance, and China, as a major country, has no shirk..."
"..."
Behind her, a HY4330 launch vehicle painted all white was escorted by a series of guidance vehicles and drove onto the newly commissioned "Kunlun Mountain" dock landing ship.
Of course, this was a picture that had been shot in advance yesterday morning and was not a real live broadcast.
But because the details are handled well, although it is not completely flawless, at least it is impossible for anyone to detect it in a short period of time.
The convoy drove on the stone road for about an hour and finally stopped in the middle of a relatively flat highland.
Only the third missile (rocket) launch vehicle bypassed the vehicle in front and continued forward, arriving on a concrete platform that had obviously been cleared just now.
Compared with traditional liquid rockets that require hundreds or thousands of people to wait before launch, the advantages of solid fuel are fully demonstrated at this moment.
Although the preparations beforehand are equally tedious, as far as the launch mission itself is concerned, only a few support resources are needed to complete it.
Around this slightly crude launch site, a series of media vehicles have already been deployed, just waiting for the final protagonist to enter——
Other images can be produced in advance and put together, but the final actual launch must be truly live broadcast anyway.
Zhou Pingjian jumped down from another command vehicle slightly behind the convoy and trotted up to Chang Haonan with an agility that was totally inappropriate for his age:
"Academician Chang, the commanders and fighters of the Second Artillery are conducting the final data verification before launch. You can see the signal relay transmission work after entering orbit..."
Because this was indeed the first time a pure solid rocket was launched on such an occasion, under normal circumstances the missile brigade commander would have commanded the entire process.
But today this is a media live broadcast and a press release. Although anyone with a discerning eye can see what the so-called "Kuaizhou No. 1" is, they can't really not act at all.
Therefore, Zhou Pingjian, who is the chief designer of the manned space project and deputy commander of the space fishing boat project, had to be the person in charge of this launch mission.
Of course, the one who actually issued the specific instructions would still be Brigadier Yang Guang.
"Don't worry..."
Chang Haonan closed the car door with his backhand and headed towards the temporary command post on the other side of the high ground:
"Before we set off today, the Qingluan 2 constellation has completed attitude adjustment, ensuring that it can provide a stable video relay signal with a duration of no less than 50 minutes and a resolution of no less than 480P."
The Qingluan-1 constellation, launched three years ago, ran out of fuel and stopped working as early as the end of 2004 due to too frequent attitude adjustments. Fortunately, the low-orbit relay center satellite has proven its worth, so the larger and more powerful Qingluan-2 constellation was successively launched into orbit from the second half of 2005 to the beginning of 2006.
Just in time for this mission.
Zhou Pingjian quickly followed and continued to ask:
"In addition, after confirming the launch into orbit and before the satellite camera signal is connected, an interview with the person in charge of the project needs to be inserted. Take a look at this..."
Chang Haonan paused for a moment, but quickly resumed his movements:
"After all, my official identity is the chief planner of the Aerospace Power Group. For matters related to aerospace, it's better not to appear on camera..."
"Hiss..."
Zhou Pingjian was stunned when he heard this answer, and then he smiled bitterly and shook his head:
"I really... forgot about this matter..."
Chang Haonan's main work in the past year or two has been related to missiles and rockets, and he usually deals with people from the aerospace industry. It's no wonder that Lao Zhou didn't think carefully...
……
As the planned launch time approached, the second artillery commanders and aerospace science and technology personnel who were busy around the launch vehicle gradually evacuated their positions.
Only a few launch operators, including the missile trumpeter, remained in the control cabin.
At this moment, the world is completely silent.
"Attention, all battle positions...equipment unlocked...rockets raised!"
Yang Guang had practiced missile launching all his life, and now he almost blurted out out of habit, but he changed his words in time at the last moment.
The command is transmitted to the control cabin via radio. The operator turns the two keys at the same time. After the three green lights light up respectively, he suddenly presses the [Upright] button in front of him.
Accompanied by the buzzing sound generated by the working of the hydraulic valve, the slender missile launcher was slowly lifted up under the support of the hydraulic arms on both sides, like a rising dragon, ready to launch an impact into the sky.
After 30 seconds, the launch tube was raised to 90°, and then the barrel slowly sank, making a "squeak" sound, and pressed the bottom four supporting feet against the concrete floor of the launch position.
In the control cabin, the fourth green light lit up, indicating that launch preparations were complete.
"Erection completed!"
The operator's clear command voice echoed in the open and airy command post.
Kuaizhou-1 directly refers to the missile launch process, so everything is based on quick response and there are no other too lengthy steps.
After confirming that the preparations were completed, Yang Guang started the countdown directly:
"10, 9, 8..."
Including Chang Haonan, everyone at the scene and watching the live broadcast through the TV screen almost held their breath at this time.
In fact, if they didn't want to create enough tension for the media, they wouldn't even shout out the countdown process...
"3, 2, 1..."
At this time, even Yang Guang's own voice was trembling.
Fortunately, his instructions are still clear and precise:
"Launch!"
The next half second was almost longer than half an hour.
Some people even began to think that the launch had failed.
"Dong——"
A dull sound broke the silence at the launch site.
The cover of the missile launcher was thrown forward and fell into the weeds more than ten meters away.
Only the black hole of the launch tube was left piercing the sky, like the door of hell with its bloody mouth open.
But this time, it was filled with expectations and hopes.
"Bang——"
Immediately afterwards, accompanied by a burst of black-gray smoke, the white cylindrical projectile was thrown out along the launch tube, accompanied by several explosions of gunpowder gas.
That's the sound the retaining ring makes when it comes off.
After the entire rocket left the launch tube, a dazzling flash of light instantly lit up from the tail, and slowly climbed upwards under the direct or indirect gaze of tens of millions of people, and slowly disappeared into the sky...
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"Ignition successful!"
(End of chapter)